Matthew 23 – 25
Verses 33:2 & 3 open a chapter of condemning to the religious elite of the time:
2 The Pharisees and the scribes occupy the seat of Moses. 3 So you should do the things they tell you to do—but don’t do the things they do.
“Do as I say not as I do” is a famous “father proverb” to their children. I know I must have given that to our children multiple times and can remember it once or twice growing up. Each after this starts with “Woe to you Pharisees, woe to you who teach the law, hypocrites!” Then it gives a laundry list of problems with their teachings and actions. Verse 23:13 I think is one of the most ominous of these warnings:
Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees. There is such a gulf between what you say and what you do. You will stand before a crowd and lock the door of the kingdom of heaven right in front of everyone; you won’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from doing so.
I get concerned that Jesus will say this to the church today. Go to some of those “faith healers” who fake healings to line their pockets. Or maybe the prosperity preachers who preach give the dollar with faith so it will grow, to line their own pockets. Or maybe the ones who say once you accept Jesus as your savior your name is sealed. I have no idea the line that will be drawn, I just do no the key is in this book and it must be read so you understand it clearly. Don’t rely on others to interpret scripture and context for you. Fact check every sermon on your own, and if you notice deception bring it up to the elders. Be diligent and keep watch for false teachings. (NOTE – often times you will not expose false teachings but understand why they were correct!!)
Chapter 24 is one to read as a whole, since it is the foundation of end time prophecies. You will notice that the seals that get open in Revelations match what Jesus is teaching his disciples. As you read these you will notice that many of these signs are happening today. Do we need to hunker down or spread the word? Think of it this way if you saw a man walking towards an open manhole texting, would you save him or film him for YouTube?
Verses 25:35 & 36 are one of those keys that can help and hurt us at the same time:
35 You shall be richly rewarded, for when I was hungry, you fed Me. And when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink. I was alone as a stranger, and you welcomed Me into your homes and into your lives. 36 I was naked, and you gave Me clothes to wear; I was sick, and you tended to My needs; I was in prison, and you comforted Me.
How many times have we stepped over a bum asking for help? I know I do more times than I care to admit. We often times look and expect others to help or the government to step in. Heck our system of welfare is based on the collective helping the needy in numbers that individuals alone cannot do. Churches do the same with their collection in helping needy people. With both working we get the idea our taxes and donations are helping those in need and we don’t need to take the time. That is something we need to squash today! If someone is in need help them, but help them as you would the savior of the world and not a “street rat”!! That is the key! And imagine if every Christian did this, while investing time teaching them to fish, the government and churches would have less work to do as a whole.